Information Society Watch

September 2007, Richard Heeks & Abi Jagun, id21

This editorial discusses the ambivalent development implications of the recent 'explosive' growth of mobile phone use around the world. The editors foresee that in less than a generation the majority of poor people will have access to mobile phones and services. The editors highlight benefits of mobile phones for mitigating inequality and poverty through increased efficiency and through production benefits. They go on to consider the potential social costs and limitations of these technologies and their role in reinforcing existing inequalities. Finally, they call for policy arena to heed past learnings and local contexts when attempting to incorporate mobile phones into their strategies for development. There is then a responsibility upon ICTD research units to examine and respond to the ways in which mobile phone technology continues to interact with development.

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